Hey there, my name is Kerry (that’s me in the picture up there) glad you are here. I have been a health nut for a while but never truly realized my passion for it until a few years ago. I have been a massage therapist for over ten years and known
...

Hey there, my name is Kerry (that’s me in the picture up there) glad you are here. I have been a health nut for a while but never truly realized my passion for it until a few years ago. I have been a massage therapist for over ten years and known for my ability to ‘torture’ people. The CIA wasn’t hiring so I pursued an Infant Massage Therapy certification in an attempt to figure out when things start going awry as we develop and stopping them before they cause trouble when we are adults. Person after person would come to me seeking relief from their pain and all I could do was iron it out with a massage, the rest of the work was up to them and I soon found that not too many go to the gym and know what to do or have a personal trainer who gives them a good program. A major contributor to this issue is the lack of communication from the client to the professional out of ignorance of their own body all because we are so busy with the other demands of life to even listen to what our body is telling us. This blog will give you that understanding.

All that background stuff brought me to today: a certified personal trainer who LOVES kettlebell training (my fave move is the Turkish Get Up), loves running, and loves acting like a kid (I have three!). I hope you enjoy the journey with me as we tackle understanding our bodies and how to get the most of your time at the gym, beat injury, figure out what muscles are doing what, and have a few laughs along the way. Understand that I am a massage therapist and personal trainer, not a medical doctor so the advice I share here is strictly that: advice. To see the kind of work I do (with my hunk of a hubby) click here.

I was recently a guest at a delicious pot luck dinner. Naturally, everyone wound up making starches. Thankfully someone made a salad. I decided on this Cheesy Tex-Mex Rice recipe from the kitchn, which I found on Pinterest. I picked it because it looked colorful and it gave me an opportunity to use my new cast iron pan. I learned to love the recipe because it entails leaving something cooking on the stove and forgetting about it for five minutes at a time. As an added bonus, I immediately knew what to cook with all the leftover ingredients – nachos. Stay tuned for that blog.

This recipe is for eight to 10 servings. Cut the recipe in half if you aren’t feeding an army.

4 cups of cooked and cooled rice (I used brown)

1 ½ cups of cheddar cheese (I may have used a little more)

1 green pepper, diced small

16 oz. of canned diced tomatoes and their juices (I used a fire roasted version)

Cook the rice ahead of time according to the ingredients on the box. I used the measurements for four servings. While the rice is cooling, assemble all your ingredients. Open and drain the corn and black beans, or shuck the corn on the cob if you’re using fresh corn. Dice the green pepper. Mince the black olives. Open the cans of tomatoes and chiles en adobo.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Be sure to taste it and adjust the seasonings to your liking. Remember, with seasoning, always go easy because you can always add more, but you can’t take it away.

Set your cast iron or nonstick skillet over medium heat. If you’re using a cast iron pan, coat it lightly with oil. Add the rice mixture and spread it evenly over the bottom of the pan. You’ll want to cook this for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring it every five minutes. According to the kitchn..

“Be patient and don’t be tempted to stir more frequently! The cheese will melt and start to form a burnt-looking crust on the bottom of the pan. Every time you stir, scrape up this crust and mix it back into the rice. The whole dish will gradually pick up a deep, almost chocolate-like flavor from the seared cheese.”

If you see or smell smoke, reduce your heat and scrape a little more frequently. Taste the rice as it cooks, adjusting the seasoning if necessary. It is recommended that the rice cool before being served and is best if served slightly warmer than room temperature. I cooked the rice the morning of the pot luck so the flavors would have a chance to mingle. The rice can be reheated in a slow cooker, a low oven covered with aluminum foil, or in the microwave for a few minutes on high.

As for the rest of the pot luck offerings, here’s some photos for you to “sample.”